Asked by: Lee Barron (Labour - Corby and East Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department is considering a ban on engineered stone to prevent workers' increased exposure to silica dust.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Great Britain has a well-established regulatory framework to protect workers from exposure to harmful dusts, including from processing engineered stone.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is delivering a targeted programme of over 1000 inspections to enforce duties on employers to prevent or adequately control exposure, as is required by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. HSE is also raising awareness of how to control the risk from using engineered stone through a focussed publicity campaign and engagement with industry stakeholders.
HSE will consider the findings from planned inspections, enforcement and engagement activities to assess whether additional restriction on the supply and use of engineered stone is necessary to prevent workers being exposed to silica dust from work activities using engineered stone products.